Tag Archives: aurifil

Doe Layers of Charm Quilt & a Giveaway

February 9, 2015 kittywilkin 366 Comments

When Fat Quarter Shop contacted me about quilting along with their newest shortcut quilt pattern, I immediately decided I wanted to make the quilt out of Carolyn Friedlander‘s newest fabric line Doe. Thus the seed was planted that grew into the Doe Layers of Charm Quilt.

Remember this sneak peek?

Well, here it is!

Layers of Charm

Layers of Charm is Fat Quarter Shop’s newest Short Cut Quilt pattern, complete with a free downloadable pdf and video. The pattern uses a layer cake and charm square pack, so I used a Doe layer cake (with two cameos by Botanics) and the coordinating Kona cotton solids charm pack. When I started this quilt, Doe wasn’t yet available in the US so Robert Kaufman Fabrics was kind enough to send me what I needed in advance (Thank you!). The part of the process that took the longest was deciding on a layout that I liked. I ultimately decided on one that I feel embodies the Doe fabric line well, with the focus on low volumes and amazing texture, with just a pop of color. Piecing the 57 1/2″ x 57 1/2″ lap sized top took me only 6 hours (and I’m a meticulous, seam-ripping-until-perfect kind of sewist).

For the back, I chose to sew one row from Carolyn’s Catenary pattern on an Architextures Ledger backing. The Catenary was my first time attempting needle-turn applique, and even with a time crunch, I truly savored each stitch! All three of Carolyn’s fabric lines are represented in this quilt, and I absolutely love it.

I decided to use a combination of straight-line quilting and free motion quilting, all of which I did on my domestic Bernina sewing machine.

Doe Layers of Charm quilt — Two quilting thread colors converge.

When inquiring about a coordinating Doe Aurifil thread set, Alex Veronelli from Aurifil said that there was not yet such a set, but offered to send me coordinating threads of my choice (Thank you, Alex & Aurifil!). I chose:

2783 – medium delft blue
1320 – medium teal
2850 – medium juniper
1154 – dusty orange
5022 – mustard
2021 – white
2026 – chalk
2310 – light beige
2600 – dove
1246 – grey

Look at them shine (and comment below for a chance to win small spools of all these colors)!

My chosen quilting pattern left a TON of thread ends to bury (3 hours worth!) but I’m really happy with the outcome. Changing threads to coordinate with each section of the quilt really helps emphasize the varied values and textures in Carolyn’s Doe line. The Layers of Charm pattern is a great pattern that lets the fabric do the talking.

My family helped me photograph the completed quilt during one of our recent blizzards (there seems to be one every few days). We had a little bit too much fun, as you can see.

Quilt Stats

Pattern: Layers of Charm free Shortcut Quilt pattern by Fat Quarter Shop. (instructional video here)

Size: lap sized: 57 1/2″ x 57 1/2″ (pattern includes table runner, crib, lap, queen, and king sizes)

Fabric (all by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman Fabrics):
Front: layer cake of Doe with two squares from Botanics, charm square pack of Doe coordinating Kona cottons.
Back: Architextures Ledger in Grey with Catenary pattern in Doe Droplet in Carrot on Kona Med Grey and Architextures crosshatch in Niagara
Binding: Architextures crosshatch in Navy with an accent of Poppy

Batting: 100% cotton Soft n’ Crafty batting

Thread: Aurifil 50wt in coordinating colors: 2783 – medium delft blue, 1320 – medium teal, 2850 – medium juniper, 1154 – dusty orange, 5022 – mustard, 2021 – white, 2026 – chalk, 2310 – light beige, 2600 – dove, and 1246 – grey

Time:
Piecing the top: 6 hours
Piecing the back: 4 hours
Squaring, layering, and basting: 45 min
Quilting: 7 hrs 45 min
Finishing (thread burying): 3 hours
Binding: 1 hr 30 min
Total: Approx. 23 hours

While I always seem to take the long road, this quilt could easily be whipped up in a weekend (or a day, if you’re quick). I am already thinking of making a baby-sized version with all black and white (heavy on the black) 10-squares and a bright pop of color solid charm pack.

Now, for a giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of the Layers of Charm pattern, I’m hosting a giveaway. One lucky winner will win a layer cake (ten-square) of Doe by Carolyn Friedlander (thanks to the Fat Quarter Shop) and a set of small spools of coordinating Aurifil threads* (thanks to Aurifil). You can enter by leaving two comments:

What would you make with your winnings?
If you follow me, Night Quilter, let me know how–or visit my right toolbar to follow me if you don’t already, then tell me how! (e-mail, WordPress, Bloglovin’, Instagram, Twitter, Craftsy)

The giveaway will be open until Monday, February 16th 12noon EST. I’ll select one winner randomly from the comments below. Good luck!

*Note: The coordinating Aurifil thread set is not an “official” Doe coordinating set. I personally chose ten colors that I feel compliment and coordinate with the Doe fabric line.

After entering the giveaway, head over to the Fat Quarter Shop’s blog the Jolly Jabber to see the other version of this quilt in the blog hop. Meanwhile, we’ll be snuggling in this lovely Doe quilt.

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {36}

February 5, 2015 kittywilkin 1 Comment

The snow just keeps on coming. Just about every other day for the past two weeks, we have had a snowstorm drop another 6-12″ of snow. We live in a veritable snow fortress! I know a lot of New Englanders are getting tired of it, but I admit–I still love it. It’s so pristine and gorgeous, and to be honest, having to dig tunnels to get out our front door is living a childhood dream for me. Walking down those paths with snow towering on either side is just so cool! My children love it, too, so I won’t be complaining.

Loving the snow doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind a little getaway to the tropics. Here are my final photos from our vacation in Cozumel and Belize early last month. Color palettes are created using Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Palm, Ivy, Grasshopper, Lime, O.D. Green, Olive

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5021 – Light Grey
2887 – Olive
5018 – Grass Green
2888 – Fern Green
4173 – Dk Olive
5015 – Gold Yellow

With all this white, I really needed some green. We are nearing the time of year when I feel that strong desire to grow something–anything! and often get my seeds planted under a grow light. There’s something about the tiny green sprouts of new life that help make the last cold days of winter linger a little less closely. This color palette gives me a good dose of green during a very green-less season!

Corresponding solids from left to right:
Bella Cherry, Kona Wine, Kona Hunter Green, Kona Basil, Bella Avocado, Bella Popsicle, Bella Cayenne

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2395 – Pumpkin Spice
2355 – Rust
5021 – Light Grey
2892 – Pine
2887 – Olive
2230 – Med Peony
2270 – Paprika

These bright beauties were spotted at Bacab Eco Park in Belize. Bright flowers sure know how to brighten a snowy day. I added an extra color to this palette, because I really wanted the pinks and reds to be well represented. In playing around with this palette, I also discovered that Play Crafts has been updating their Palette Builder! Now not only can you get matching Kona Cottons, but you can also get matching Moda Bella solids OR opt for “All Solids”, which will match the closest color regardless of collection. I love this option, since I’ve noticed that some of the Kona matches aren’t always true to the color in the palette/photo, so adding the entire pool of Moda solids to the mix is a great idea! This makes the available matches quite long, though, so I plan to include a little of each in my Color Inspiration posts each week. I most likely will opt for “All Solids” and will list the best matching fabric solids for each palette, in addition to the matching Aurifil thread. Quilty color overload!

Do you mix and match your solids when you quilt, or do you opt for all one brand?

Quilting

February Goals {ALYoF}

February 3, 2015 kittywilkin 11 Comments

January flew by, but somehow I managed to meet my sewing goal for the month. Now we’re on to February, an already short month. To top it off, QuiltCon is in the middle of the month and there is a TON to do before I head to Austin. I have been debating which project to choose for this month of A Lovely Year of Finishes (ALYoF) and I’ve decided NOT to choose any of my QuiltCon prep projects (just in case I have to abort mission and go to the conference without newly handmade accessories) and instead to choose Maddie’s Rainbow Jellyroll quilt as my goal. All I have left to do is square up the quilt and bind it. Sounds doable, even though I’ll most likely be working on it after I return from QuiltCon.

I quilted it with straight lines 1/4″ from each seam, in coordinating colors of Aurifil 40wt thread. I am LOVING it and clearly, so is my little helper. This quilt is for Maddie, but Max certainly had a grand old time rolling around with it during the photo shoot while Maddie was in preschool.

I like how the quilt lines look on the back WAY more than I thought I would. I was all worried they would look off kilter, but it looks fine to me (don’t mind the fluff balls!).

I’m linking up with the February goals for ALYoF.

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {35}

January 29, 2015 kittywilkin 1 Comment

The landscape here is pure white, after Juno dropped about two feet of snow early this week. It’s sunny today, so it’s glistening and glimmering like only a huge blanket of fresh snow can. With more snow coming this weekend (forecast says a foot or more, potentially) and temperatures in the single digits, I thought it would be a fine time to revisit the tropics. Today’s color inspiration palettes feature palm trees (sigh) and beach life. You can’t go wrong with a reminiscent trip to the hot sandy beach! Palettes are made using Play Crafts’ Palette builder 2.1 and my photographs.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Forest, O.D. Green, Charcoal, Snow, Dresden Blue, Blue

I have to include another detail of the texture found on palm trees. Just look at that texture!! If there’s anything in nature that is reminiscent of fabric, this is it. I love the subdued resulting color palette, too. Those blues are so soothing.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Forest, Avocado, White, Seafoam, Sprout, Steel

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5021 – Light Grey
5023 – Medium Green
2024 – White
2845 – Lt Juniper
2908 – Spearmint
2625 – Arctic Ice

Put the lime in the coconut and drink it all up! No palm tree photo collection is complete without some of those delicious coconuts. We were able to drink coconut water from a coconut in Belize, which was a memory I really wanted to create for my kids. I remember a few very clear moments from my trip to Puerto Rico when I was four years old, and one of those is drinking out of a coconut!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Graphite, Niagra, Sage, Glacier, Teal Blue, Everglade

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
1126 – Blue Grey
2810 – Turquoise
2815 – Teal
4093 – Jade
1310 – Med Blue Grey
4182 – Med Turquoise

“The color of the ocean in the tropics” has long been my favorite color. Sure, you could call it turquoise if you want, but that one word, as eloquent and beautiful as it is, just doesn’t fully express the gorgeousness of the tropical ocean. This color palette grabs all of the subtle differences that make the ocean as blissfully beautiful as it is.

Enjoy!

Applique, Paper piecing, Quilting, Sewing

Key to a Cyclist’s Heart

January 28, 2015 kittywilkin 8 Comments

Despite 18″-24″ of snowfall over the past 48 hours, we managed to keep our power!! Huzzah! That means I was able to sneak some sewing time in between the outdoor snowy play and the indoor snuggly game playing and movie watching time. I’ve been working on a second version of my Key to My Heart pattern (only $2 on Craftsy and Payhip), with the plan to make them into another seasonal tea cozy for my mom. I’m fairly certain my mom doesn’t read my blog, so I think the gift surprise is safe. If I’m wrong and my mom is reading this, —hi, Mom!!– I hope to get it in the mail so that she gets it before Valentine’s Day.

key to a bicyclists heart — I love matching thread! Aurifil hasn’t let me down yet!

I can see myself making this block with MANY different fussy-cut centers. This one will become another reversible tea cozy, using Yvonne’s tutorial on Quilting Jetgirl. I was toying around with the idea of making one side both hearts, and the other side solid, but I think I’m going to mix it up. One side of the tea cozy will be the pink heart and pink solid fabric, and the other side will be the bicycle and teal fabric. That way, this tea cozy will be seasonally appropriate throughout the spring and summer, too!

I’m linking up with Freshly Pieced for Work in Progress Wednesday.

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {34}

January 22, 2015 kittywilkin 6 Comments

Are you ready for another fantasy trip to the tropics?! I know I am! It’s still hovering in the single and barely-double digits here in Maine, so I am going to savor these tropical palettes today. As per usual, color palettes are created with Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1 and my photographs. Matching Kona cottons and Aurifil thread are awesomely provided with the palette builder. Today’s photographs were taken in Cozumel, Mexico.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Charcoal, Mushroom, Pewter, Fog, Sky, Spring

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
4241 – V Dk Grey
2370 – Sandstone
2605 – Grey
6720 – Slate
2710 – Lt Robins Egg
2850 – Med Juniper

I’ll start off with another palm tree photograph since I’ve already established my love of palm trees. I love the texture in this photographic study of the alternating bark pattern on the trunk of a palm tree. The splash of blues and green paired with the color gradient of grays is just icing on the cake. Thinking about texture and quilting makes me think about Doe. I was recently reflecting on Carolyn Friedlander’s new fabric line Doe, and realized that one of the big reasons I love her fabrics so much is the diverse and intense texture in each one. Texture and color play so well together, and Carolyn manages to design fabrics that convey a strong texture, either while playing delightfully with color or in the wonderfully all-purpose low volumes for which she is so well known.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Titanium, Coal, Silver, Cadet–or–Charcoal, Ruby, Taupe

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2610 – Lt Blue Grey
1246 – Grey
2615 – Aluminum
2606 – Mist
2230 – Med Poppy
4012 – Copper Brown

Since we are voyaging to the hot and sunny beach in the tropics. it only seems right to include a catamaran to take us out snorkeling–or just sail us around on a breezy, sun-bathing booze cruise–at least those of us who are not currently with-child (come pick me up in July)!. The color palette resulting from this photo is a quintessential nautical palette, in my opinion. You’ve got your blues and grays, with those shining stars navy blue and a pop of red. Go ahead and sail away… but come back soon!

I’m linking up with #ThankfulThursday on Yvonne aka Quilting Jetgirl’s blog since I’m ALWAYS thankful for the color all around us, and that I can see it. I’m also thankful for the hot memories from Cozumel to help warm me on this frigid winter’s day!

Quilting, Stash Building

Rainbow Thread Eye Candy

January 21, 2015 kittywilkin 17 Comments

I have a confession to make: I’ve never made a quilt for an immediate family member. There, I said it. Yes, I have two kids and another on the way. Yet, I’ve never made a baby quilt for one of my own babes let alone myself or my husband. Well, that’s finally about to change! I’ve been working on a Rainbow Jelly Roll quilt for my daughter Maddie since early July of last year (as seen HERE and HERE), but it always seems to get shoved to the back burner behind projects for other babies, baby showers, and other family members. Finally, on Maddie’s birthday right before Christmas, we laid out the quilt and matched some threads to help psyche myself up for quilting and hopefully finishing her very first quilt.

I decided that I wanted to quilt this with simple seam-echoing straight lines in coordinating thread, but that would require a rainbow gradient of thread (awww, darn! I have to buy a spectrum of Aurifil!?). I had a couple of spools of organic cotton Scanfil and one 50wt spool of Aurifil that already matched, so I went onto the Hawthorne Threads site and ordered the supplementary colors. I opted for 40wt since I had never tried them before and the website said they were good for machine quilting. I figured a little bit thicker than 50wt wouldn’t hurt, so these 40wt beauties were added to my stash.

I’ve since then started and almost finished quilting this Rainbow Jellyroll Quilt, so I think my eye candy photo shoot worked! Here are some more gorgeous photos from my photo shoot with my adorable five year old, her rainbow jellyroll quilt, and the matching Aurifil thread.

matching rainbow thread — Most of the time, Maddie had fun giving me a smile for these photos.

I think she may have been a bit bored during some of it, though! LOL!

I seriously love Aurifil thread. It shines, has never broken once, and doesn’t fuzz up my machine NEARLY as much as other hand-me-down threads I use upon occasion. I’m excited to be slowly growing my supply of Aurifil.

It’s a bit of a motley crew, but I think the resulting quilting is going to be gorgeous!!

Here’s an Instagram selfie I posted while quilting. It’s my first-ever quilting selfie! See!? I’m making progress!

I’m linking up with Molli’s Sunday Stash and Lee’s WiP Wednesday. Building my stash to move a work in progress forward a bit more is always fun!

Applique, Paper piecing, Patterns, Quilting, Tutorials

Key to my Heart: Pattern and Tutorial

January 16, 2015 kittywilkin 12 Comments

Since returning from vacation, my design wheels have been turning and cranking out ideas faster than I can create them and turn them into patterns. I did manage to finish this pattern, though, complete with a tutorial. Key to my Heart is a pattern that combines foundation paper piecing and applique to help you create a perfect log cabin-style heart on a 9″x9″ block (or a background block of your choice. The heart measures approximately 8″ wide by 7″ tall). The log cabin pattern is paper pieced for quick, “perfect” stitching, and then the heart shape is cut out and appliqued onto the background of your choice. The heart is shown on the paper piecing template so that your block is perfectly centered and ready to go.

This block would be perfect for a variety of Valentine’s Day gifts, or even just to show your love any day of the year. I plan to make my block into a tea cozy using Yvonne’s great tutorial here, but you could make yours into a mug rug, mini wall hanging, table runner, or even add it to a larger quilt.

The pattern is for sale in my Craftsy shop for those in the US, or in my Payhip shop for international folk. It is on sale for only $3.50 until February 1st, when it will be listed at the usual $4.50.

Since this pattern combines paper piecing and applique, I decided to provide a tutorial to help explain and show each step more clearly. Once you’ve printed your pattern template, you are ready to go!

Instructions

Step 1

Paper piece the log cabin portion of the block until fabric extends at least 1/4″ beyond all edges of the heart.

Notes:

*Shorten your machine’s stitch length to 1.2 to make paper removal easy.
*The center square is perfect for fussy cutting! Find key fabric to share the key to your heart. Or, be creative! Do you love cats? Fussy cut a cat for the center. Love tea? Fussy cut a teapot for the center. Whatever you or the gift recipient loves can be fussy cut for the center of this heart.
Tip: Hold the paper and your fussy cut square up to a bright window or lightbox to be sure your fussy cut feature is centered before sewing.

Step 2

Using a long basting stitch (2.5 or larger), sew around the outside of the heart, approximately 1/8″ from the line (this distance does not need to be perfect, nor do the stitches need to be perfect. The purpose of these stitches is to hold all of your fabric flat while cutting out the heart shape.)

Step 3

Using scissors appropriate for cutting both fabric and paper, carefully cut along the dotted heart line.

Step 4

Remove paper piecing foundation paper.
Jump for joy at how easy it is since you shortened your stitch length to 1.2 before paper piecing!

Step 5

Applique your heart to the center of your background fabric using your preferred applique method.

Notes:

*To accurately center your heart, fold your background fabric in half and press lightly. With the fold running top to bottom, line up the center top and bottom of the heart with the pressed center line of the background fabric. Either measure the distance from top and bottom of the background fabric until it’s equal, or position your heart as desired.

Step 6

Find gorgeous matching thread. (I love Aurifil, and there’s ~~almost~~ always a perfect match!).

Step 7

Quilt and finish as desired.

I would love to see if you create this block. Photos of your finished block can be posted in my Night Quilter Creations group on Flickr found HERE, or can be added to the Craftsy page HERE. The first three (3) people to buy, complete, and upload a photo of a completed block to either the Flickr group or my Craftsy page will receive a full refund OR choice of another pattern from my shop. How about that for sharing the love!?

Want to share the love some more? Instagram your blocks and tag me @nightquilter.

I’m linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday. Share the love ❤

Design, Life

Color Inspiration Thursday {33}

January 15, 2015 kittywilkin 2 Comments

Weather in Maine this past week has varied between -20 degrees F and a balmy 20 degrees, but I’m still dreaming of the hot 88 degree sun in Cozumel. This week’s color inspiration is your first little taste of the tropics, care of my vacation photographs and Play Crafts’ Palette Builder 2.1. No worries; If you don’t get your fill of the tropical warmth with these palettes, I have enough to last through all of the frigid northeast’s winter month of January.

Take a little trip with me. Imagine you’re here, just getting off your catamaran to spend the rest of the morning on a soft, warm beach…

Ah, the warm, white sand!

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Ash, Medium Grey, Coal, Sky, Sand, Taupe

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
2600 – Dove
2625 – Arctic Ice
1158 – Med Grey
2024 – White
2205 – Flesh
2335 – Lt Cinnamon

The beach at Cozumel was so glorious. Between the warm white sand, the huggable green palm trees, and the perfectly turquoise water, I was in heaven. After getting off the boat, it seemed it was only right to flop down in the sand and get a closer look. This rope tied around a piece of driftwood seemed like a perfect place to start with the warm color inspiration. The combination of textures paired with the soft, soothing colors makes this a lovely palette that makes me dream of the beach in the summertime.

Corresponding Kona cottons from left to right:
Evergreen, Coal, Titanium, Ivy, Black, PFD Bleach White

Corresponding Aurifil thread from left to right:
5021 – Light Grey
1158 – Med Grey
5008 – Sugar Paper
4173 – Dk Olive
2692 – Black
2843 – Lt Grey Green

Who doesn’t love to hug a palm tree? Seriously. Is it just me, or is it literally impossible to walk by a palm tree without hugging it? Maybe it’s just me, but either way, the view up the trunk into the tropical fronds is worth the extra hug. No coconuts fell on my head during the taking of this photograph, so no worries!

At least my girl Maddie agreed with me. She’s a girl after my own heart!

So seriously, you hug palm trees, too, right?!

Quilting

A Modern Hexies Mini Finish

December 19, 2014 kittywilkin 10 Comments

I’m sneaking in one last post before I disappear for a few weeks on a much needed vacation & blogging break. I finished the mini quilt I’m making for my partner in the Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap, and I just have to share! I have loved working on this quilt, and I’m pretty certain my partner will love it, too! Nicole at Modern Handcraft has a wonderful tutorial on this short-cut hexagon quilting method. I’ve done some blogging (and a lot of Instagramming) about my progress on the quilt, which you can read here and here.

Are you ready for a total photograph color explosion? Okay, good. I took a LOT of photos of this baby, and in my usual style I can’t choose just one.

modern hexies mini quilt finish — I took the quilt to the city (Bangor, ME) to find a good brick wall on which to photograph it. I wanted to mix it up a bit from my usual shed/barn side backdrop. I love the effect!

Finished quilt stats:

Name: Modern Hexies Mini Quilt (for Schnitzel and Boo, Round 3)
Size: 24″ x 18″
Fabric: Hexies are primarily Anna Maria Horner’s True Colors collection, with supplements from my stash (including but not limited to Carolyn Friedlander’s Botanics, Timeless Treasures Sketch, other Anna Maria Horner fabrics); backing Kona Snow; binding is Carolyn Friedlander’s Leaves in Charcoal from Botanics.
Quilting: Straight-line quilted through each hexagon, lines 1″ apart
Thread: Aurifil 50wt 2615 – Aluminum (light grey) and 28wt 2000 – Light Sand in the bobbin
Finished: December 2014
Related blog posts: Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap: I’m in!, A Mini Sneak Peek, Modern Hexies Mini Progress